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Come on out to the 3rd Annual Poetry Slam brought to you by the Central Pen Literary E-zine and Professor Maria Thiaw’s Contemporary American Writer’s of Color class to hear some good words or give some- or both! A poetry slam is a bit of a competition, but a lot of love. Poets are judged by their writing style and their performance ability.

Central Penn alumna Shonyah Hawkins will MC the event and poets will be judged by the esteemed spoken word artist Ladi Glori along with other faculty and students.

The slam will be held in the Capital Blue Cross Theatre on the Summerdale campus Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 pm. Oh yeah, and it’s FREE!

If you’re interested in competing send your name, your contact information, and the name of your poem to thecentralpen@centralpenn.edu. Be sure to hurry, spots are limited! Poets will have 3 minutes to speak. All you need to bring is yourself and your poem. And as if sharing your poem isn’t enough, $100 goes to first place, $50 goes to second place, and $25 goes to third place.

The 3rd Annual Poetry Slam will be held on Thursday, September 3rd in the Capital BlueCross Theatre on Central Penn College’s Summerdale campus. This event will be hosted by the Central Pen Literary E-zine and Professor Maria Thiaw’s Contemporary American Writer’s Of Color class. The first place slam-master will walk away with a cool $100.00. There are second and third place prizes as well.

The Slam will be judged by students, faculty and Baltimore spoken word powerhouse, Ladi Glori. Central Penn alumna, Shonyah Hawkins will M.C. the free event. Performers must be students or alumni of Central Penn College and can sign up by emailing thecentralpen@centralpenn.edu no later than August 15. Spots are limited, so don’t delay.

What’s a Poetry Slam?

A poetry slam is a contest in which poets are judged by both their writing style and performance ability. Poets don’t merely ‘read’ their original work, but they deliver it with dramatic flair. Since no one sees the work on paper, slam poets don’t have to worry about being grammatically correct or holding to a traditional form. Poetry slams are a national pastime that has brought the art of poetry off the page and out of the classroom for regular people to enjoy.

Are there rules?

Although the rules of grammar and form are relaxed in a slam, wordsmiths must remember these tips for success:

No props but the poem and the mic!

The first rule of a poetry slam is that there are no props allowed. You can’t talk to an empty chair, hold a dummy, or throw a paper airplane. It is just you, the word and the mic. For this particular slam you are allowed to have your poem on paper, however most slam champions memorize their pieces and perform them with power.

No disclaimers!

Do not explain your inspiration, apologize, or give a soliloquy about the piece you are about to perform. You only have 3 minutes and the timer starts when you open your mouth.

Respect the Mic!

Although a vast array of once taboo subjects are welcomed in poetry slams, hatred, misogyny and homophobia are not. Please stay away from racial slurs, anti-gay rhetoric or religion bashing. This is a multicultural event. Let’s celebrate the art of the spoken word together!

How Can I Be Down?

So you want to watch the slam? Show up to the Capital BlueCross Theatre in the Underground on the Summerdale campus on Thursday, September 3 at 7 pm to support your friends. Give them lots of love, snaps and claps when they’re on stage.

Oh, you want to walk away with $100.00 and some Central Penn swag?Sign up to perform by sending an email to thecentralpen@centralpenn.edu by August 15. Send us your name, contact information and the name of your poem.

Poetry is the music of our soul here at The Central Pen, and we have a fantastic community of lyrical artists. From free verse to spoken word to slant rhyme, we love it all, and we are here to share our creative energies with you. Enjoy this submission from one of our homegrown poets.

About the writer.

Deje Butler is 19 years old. Born in Washington, DC, she was raised in Dale City, Virginia. She has recently changed her major to criminal justice (originally business administration). At CPC, she volunteers at the writing center and will be a part of the college’s new drama club. She loves writing and art as well as meeting new people. She also enjoys going to museums of any kind and reading. She says, “I feel like I’m going on a adventure when I do so–its exhilarating!”

Poetry is the music of our soul here at The Central Pen, and we have a fantastic community of lyrical artists. From free verse to spoken word to slant rhyme, we love it all, and we are here to share our creative energies with you. Enjoy this submission from one of our homegrown poets.

About the writer.

Tynesha Robinson was born and raised in Washington, DC, and graduated from Oxon Hill High in 2013. She attends Central Penn, receiving her associates in marketing in the near future. Eventually, she is hoping to continue her education and start a fashion and interior design degree.

Many of the people who converse with me would never believe that I had a problem speaking when I was younger. Despite the numerous vocabulary words I knew, sentences would not flow effectively the way I wanted them to when I tried to plead my case.

However, I had a knack for writing poems, raps, and songs so my father said “if you can’t tell me your thoughts, write them down, I would love to read them.” Since that day, anything I see, hear, or say can serve as a catalyst for me to manipulate words and phrases in ways that I still cannot explain.

Embracing my own creativity with writing has served as an outlet for all of the negative aspects of my life such as stress, instability and a lack of self-confidence, which seemed impossible to explain to my father.

Yes, I, Isaiah Isley have doubts about myself and my abilities sometimes, but those doubts deteriorate each and every time I read aloud a small piece of material and I gauge the reactions of the audience because I am realizing that I have a gift; the gift of oratory. Utilizing my creative writing effectively has become a self-motivating technique and a reminder that I am capable of achieving a great deal of success, which is defined as one’s satisfaction with their accomplishments in this case.

My favorite phrase that I have ever written down is “you are what you are, you accept you’ll be respected” because it encourages everyone to be comfortable embracing themselves. I am comfortable with my gift and it will not go to waste because I will not allow it to.

Creative writing opens up my mind by coercing me to paint a picture with words, which challenges my intellect, but results in a great deal of psychological pleasure in the end.

I would encourage others to write down their thoughts in a journal, notebook, and if they are hip to the new fads they can write in their notepads on their cellular devices. Our thoughts, visions and ideas are important and they have the potential to shape and mold others over time. Shakespeare, Poe, and Twain are still idolized today because they wrote down their thoughts and someone else thought that they were important.

The many words that I have used to compose the multiple pieces of literature that I have completed have acted as my motivation and given me a sense of purpose in life.

…Creative writing is my life.

Isaiah Isley has written numerous poems, raps, songs and a short story since the eighth grade. He has performed his personal pieces in front of hundreds at talent shows, fashion shows, sporting events and open mic nights. Isley, majoring in Corporate Communications​, is currently on the Deans’ List at Central Penn College and is on a mission to redefine success for the world through various forms of education. After graduating in 2017, Isaiah is going to attend graduate school.

Creative writing is a form of releasing energy. Whether it’s writing, typing or texting the word document, paper or text box is a place where you can store energy from within you. Releasing energy is good because it allows your body or system to create room for new energy.

– – –

Feeding off of the same energy for too long can become a negative thing because you can lose motivation, it can turn into anger and become a burden to you, and allowing energy to build up can lead to stress which has severe side effects such as a change in your mood, behavior, and even your body.

– – –

I compare it to a car getting its oil changed. Whenever a car gets its oil changed it allows the car’s engine to perform better, after a while through a number of ways the oil becomes dirty and affects the engine’s performance. If a car runs on the same oil for too long the engine will eventually stop running and you will have to buy a new one.

Well it’s no different from any human being: if energy isn’t released new energy can’t form and that’s when it becomes a problem.

– – –

Writing should be promoted more–too many people forget things nowadays and a simple written note to self could make all the difference.

– – –

For those who have trouble getting ideas and thoughts across I suggest writing to them. Writing can simply be viewed as an alternative for outlet. For instance, if you want to be heard and you feel like your voice isn’t or can’t be heard you could simply write a letter, message or note.

…writing has no limit.

– – –

Derrick A. Johnson known as “Muff” by any human being who shares time and space with him, is striving to be better today than he was yesterday. Born in the South part of Bronx New York and raised in Philadelphia he was a unique, self-motivated thinking child. As an active high school student he participated in athletics, participated in community events, and participated as an advocate for justice. Currently he is pursuing an Associates of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Central Penn College in Enola, Pennsylvania. He strives to positively contribute to the campus environment by serving as an active member of the Central Penn Literary E-Zine, supporting peers, faculty, and staff, and working part-time. His academic goals are to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and to conduct his (future) internship at Comcast in Philadelphia. His professional goal is to obtain employment as an executive with Comcast.

Creative writing has actually saved my life. Before creative writing my life was horrible, and I had unexpressed emotions that only manifested itself into tears. I soon developed depression in high school, but very few believed I actually had it, more specifically my family. The more they did not believe I had it, the worse it got. Creative writing, more specifically poetry, was my outlet so I would not cry myself to sleep at night. When I started writing poems I started feeling better about the events that have happened in the past by simply writing about them in my poems.

From my family to the fake friends I made in high school, they are all written in poems so I can creatively express my feelings toward them without actually expressing those feelings toward them in reality. However, sometimes I feel like writing about these individuals in my poems just is not enough. I still don’t sleep at night at times because when I think I’ve gotten rid of those awful heart aching memories, they come crawling back when it is the least convenient, which is when I am trying to sleep. I would try to write my feelings out, but so much is going through my mind at once that I would develop writing anxiety and lie awake at night wishing the memories would just go away and never come back into my mind.

When I could sleep, nightmares occurred, making sleeping worse and worse as the nightmares felt more real with every passing night. Now that I have depression, writing anxiety, horrible memories, and on top of that the nightmares worsening, it is no wonder I cannot sleep. Soon I realized I was still harboring leftover feelings that never escaped from the prison that is my subconscious.

When I started attending Central Penn I started to develop a whole new perspective on my life.

By talking to the college’s counselor and various professors I came to the realization that I have to try and come to grips with my past and not let it control my life. Using the advice, the techniques provided by the counselor, and creative writing as an outlet for whatever mood I’m in, I have better control over my pain from my past than I used to, though I still struggle with it from time to time, but I have control over it a majority of the time. To this day I still struggle with it, but I’m managing it the best I can and hopefully soon, with the support of the people that have helped me before, I can overcome my anxieties, depression and various nightmares so that I can have a good night’s sleep I really need. Until that time comes, however, I will continue to seek help from those same people, but not so much I become dependent on them.

All in all, believe it or not, I’m happier than ever and living life the only way I can.

Living in New Jersey, I spend most of my time out with my girlfriend. I enjoy doing Sudoku puzzles and word searches in my spare time. I also like bowling and I’ve gotten quite good at it, but I still aim to be better than my best. Poetry’s been my main focus, but when not doing those activities I’m playing fighting and adventure video games, like Pokémon; unlike some I’m not ashamed to say it. I like listening to real hip-hop music unlike the rap music nowadays that’s only about sex, drugs, violence, and money; everyone’s entitles to an opinion.

The 2nd Annual Poetry Slam is almost here! Get ready to bring your best with our poetry workshop hosted by The Central Pen’s own Maria Thiaw. We’ll be talking about performance and poetry, tips and tricks for giving your best performance, and of course, how to SLAM!

After a record-setting year for submissions, The Central Pen E-zine is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s poetry contest sponsored by The Central Pen and the American Academy of Poets. These poets impressed the judges ‘brutal honesty, ’’captivating’ images, ‘use of allusions,’ ‘playful word choice,’ and ‘use of dialect.’

First Place: “I am” by Jade Harper
Second Place: “Changes” by Isaiah Isley
Third Place: “Nerd Music” by Dezmyn Edmond

In addition to their prizes, all of our poets will be featured in here on the blog in the upcoming months!

A special thank you our judges Professors Thomas Davis and Matthew Vickless, Writing Center Director Dalton James, and Student Activities Coordinator Danielle Klebes all of whom had a difficult job this year determining the winners.